Red Light District

In the red light district of Kolkata (Calcutta), India, social and cultural norms create conditions where young girls only value is based on how much money their bodies can earn for sex. Though India's official caste system has been abolished, hundreds of years of societal structure is still firmly in place. Those unfortunate enough to occupy this tier of society, they are considered the lowest of low and are not granted social rights or acceptance that we take is commonplace. In the red light district of Kolkata (Calcutta), India, social and cultural norms create conditions where young girls only value is based on how much money their bodies can earn from sex. Though India's official caste system has been abolished, hundreds of years of societal structure is still firmly in place. Those unfortunate enough to occupy this tier of society, they are considered the lowest of low and are not granted social rights or acceptance that we take is commonplace.

Born here, a child is not afforded the opportunity of education. Their fate has already been decided. She will spend her day doing menial chores for paltry amounts of money until she is old enough to start selling her body.

Once they begin selling their bodies, they are routinely subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Drugs and alcohol naturally become anesthetics to such desperate conditions.

In the red light district, property owners, pimps and vendors all partake in the economy of sex for money. It is common that ones elder may also the the facilitator to their own enslavement. .

Amidst all of these conditions and limitations, the people of Kalighat carry on with the same hopes, desires, and longing to discover their true identity.

While many aspects of live are precarious and desperate, pride, care, and attention to detail is pervasive. While ones entire home may be no larger than an 8' x 8' rented room, it is rare to find it in disarray or squalor